We are going to sing a setting of 'Beloved let us love as a prelude as a nod to Valentine's day. That's it.. The rest of mass will have lots of Alleluias since it's the last Sunday before Lent. Of course, the psalm is Ps 1.
Donna
I was chaperone for a middle school Valentine's dance last night. That's all the "valentine" I can stand for one year. Sunday will be the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time and nothing more. After this, I retire the organ trumpet, the prelude, and the postlude until Easter - well, actually I do use the trumpet on Holy Thursday.
The only red to recall on Valentines day is the blood of martyrs. Call anything else a farce as far as Catholicism is concerned.
The name "Valentine" (Priest Valentio) does not occur in the earliest list of Roman martyrs, compiled by the Chronographer of 354. The feast of St. Valentine was first established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who included Valentine among those "... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God." As Gelasius implied, nothing was known, even then, about the lives of any of these martyrs. The Saint Valentine that appears in various martyrologies in connection with February 14 is described either as:
A priest in Rome, A bishop of Interamna (modern Terni), or A martyr in the Roman province of Africa.[7] The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in the Nuremberg Chronicle, (1493); alongside the woodcut portrait of Valentine the text states that he was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius II, known as Claudius Gothicus. He was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Helping Christians at this time was considered a crime. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner -- until Valentinus tried to convert the Emperor -- whereupon this priest was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stoned; when that didn't finish him, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate. Various dates are given for the martyrdom or martyrdoms: 269, 270, or 273.[8]
The official Roman Martyrology for February 14 mentions only one Saint Valentine.
I'd say some accommodation is fine, so long as it's after the Mass (which isn't part of the liturgy). Maybe "The King of Love" or something? Those suggested hymns, if they can so be called, are just dreadful.
As for me, I have too many wonderful hymns appropriate to the day (including Alleluia, Song of Gladness) to waste my time with hymns related to secular occasions. I think as far as I'll go for V-Day is to buy candy for the choristers.
I should have mentioned we will be singing Rutter's setting of "Let all mortal flesh' and that beautiful setting of 'O Sacrum convivium' I found on this site. Going out to Lasst uns erfreuen with the Descant from Oxford easy anthem book
One of mine wanted to sing something that actually mentioned MLK by NAME on the Sunday closest to MLK day ... it was basically a hymn to MLK, found somewhere in Lead Me, Guide Me. Oh, and she also wanted to end with "We Shall Overcome" ... and, yes, she is a middle aged white lady.
There is a total lack of understanding of the reason for singing during the Mass...the protestant concept of music being an integral part of worship has crept in and taken hold pushing the propers off the map. IF the song substituted for the actual Propers was an enhancement of the proscribed scripture, there would be an argument for it.
But, the use of songs to replace propers is much too much like Andy Hardy saying, "Let's make a show!".
Youthful exuberance supplanting reasoned study and diligence.
We used "Draw us in the the Spirit's Tether" at Atonement Church. But I don't think Mr. Murray was thinking specifically of Valentine's Day; if he did, he would have told us, I think. We also used this for communion for the Confirmation/First Communion Mass yesterday.
I wanted to use it for confirmation this year, but it's occurring right in the middle of Lent. No alleluias. I am wondering how I can write them out of the text and still use the hymn.
WE sing 'Draw us in the spirit's' Tether frequently for communion., and we sang it today. There's an anthem arr of it also with very nice organ accompaniment by composer Friedell. Prolly everyone on this site knows it already
Donna
The Charleses are in concord. Outside of a lot of red couture among the schola gals, Propers, chant and Michael Mallen's EGO SUM PANIS VIVUS were the order of day. But we also had enrollment of catechumens and candidates; so after 55 minutes we opted out of the Proulx Oecumenica acclamations for, argggghhhhhhh, MOC trio. Never have I used MOC in 17 years at our place until this day. What I did for love......of the congregation's stopwatches! ;-p We had the occasion to accompany our Spanish language Mass, however, which was conjoined to a Spanish Language Marriage Encounter weekend. So the recognitio of anniversarios ruptured Communion from the Communion prayer; but it wasn't the end of the world.
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